Pork Carcass Breakdown: What to Expect

Pork carcasses are usually sold as whole or half carcasses. Traditionally, there are more cured and smoked products in a pork carcass resulting in a greater butchering cost when compared to beef. I will detail a hog we butchered recently with butchering costs.

Description

Weight

Price

Amount

Processing

172 lbs.

$.45

$77.40

Cooling & Offal Pickup

172 lbs.

$.22

$37.84

Hams

44 lbs.

$.40

$17.60

Slicing Bacon

16 lbs.

$.60

$9.60

Rolled shoulder

25 lbs.

$.25

$6.25

Sausage Links

14 lbs.

$.85

$11.90

Spare Ribs

10 lbs.

Pork Chops

30 lbs.

The total weight of the pork we took home was 139 lbs. Some of the pork was lost as bones and other waste. Pork carcasses will vary of course. The amount of take-home pork will also vary based on the amount of processing, (i.e. deboning, etc.), you choose.

Based on $172 to the farmer and $160.59 to the butcher, the total cost is $332.59. Divided by a take-home weight of 139 lbs., cost per lb. is $2.39.

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2 Responses to Pork Carcass Breakdown: What to Expect

The butcher has to hire someone to pick up the guts and other inedibles. The value of the animal’s hides used to offset this cost as recently as last year so our butcher didn’t start charging for this expense until this year.
I talked to our butcher and he feels hides will increase in value again and he will be able to drop this expense in the future.
I don’t know why he places “cooling” into the charge?